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| little e: reading stories with her wee cousin. |
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| Big E: recovering after a horrible sickness bug. |
Joining in with Jodi again for the 52 project.
Sunday, 29 June 2014
Saturday, 28 June 2014
Frenzied sewing
The sun is out and it's the start of the school holidays, it can only mean one thing, some frenzied summer sewing for me and the kids who are seriously lacking in summer attire! The kids have grown - how inconvenient - so the shorts that have done a few years are now hot pants, not a good look on a 8 year old boy!
I bought the shorts pattern from MADE last year and it is a very good simple short, very quick to make.
I made the biggest size for Big E so hopefully they will last a few summers, no pictures as they are in the wash already!
I then stumbled across this free shorts pattern from Oliver + S. It is brilliant as well.
The shorts are a little more complicated, in that you add the waistband, but they are lovely wee shorts. The turquoise ones are made from the legs of a pair of linen trousers of mine.
Next up was a tennis skirt for little e using this free pattern from Kitschy Coo.
She likes it - result!
Big E then started complaining that little sis had more than him so I finally sewed the shirt that I have been meaning to make for over a year!
He chose the buttons :) I have fabric for a boys t-shirt as well but that will have to wait for a while!
There has also been lots of selfish sewing that I will share soon, well, as soon as the kids allow, since I am on full time entertainment duty for the next 6 weeks!
Linking to some of these fab linky parties.
I bought the shorts pattern from MADE last year and it is a very good simple short, very quick to make.
I made the biggest size for Big E so hopefully they will last a few summers, no pictures as they are in the wash already!
I then stumbled across this free shorts pattern from Oliver + S. It is brilliant as well.
The shorts are a little more complicated, in that you add the waistband, but they are lovely wee shorts. The turquoise ones are made from the legs of a pair of linen trousers of mine.
Next up was a tennis skirt for little e using this free pattern from Kitschy Coo.
She likes it - result!
Big E then started complaining that little sis had more than him so I finally sewed the shirt that I have been meaning to make for over a year!
He chose the buttons :) I have fabric for a boys t-shirt as well but that will have to wait for a while!
There has also been lots of selfish sewing that I will share soon, well, as soon as the kids allow, since I am on full time entertainment duty for the next 6 weeks!
Linking to some of these fab linky parties.
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Sunday, 15 June 2014
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Tania Culottes
I have been itching to make the some Tania culottes for ages, I got the pattern for my birthday last November but couldn't find the perfect fabric without buying new which I didn't want to do. Then, whilst browsing ebay (obviously, where else:) ), I stumbled across someone selling loads of stash fabric in the same village I live in - perfect, no postage costs! I went a picked up the fabric from a lovely Korean lady who blogs here - wow. I got 2m of grey jersey and 3m of floral pattern satin with a slightly textured finish.
I was daring and cut a 14 and it is snug at the waist but actually fits, normally I need a 16+ at the waist, yipee!I also lengthened the pattern, I didn't fancy (read: don't have the legs for) mini culottes then fought with them to get the hem level, everyone says to leave them at least 24hrs to settle and they are right!
I did a rolled hem on my overlocker as I couldn't face doing a narrow hem, I reckon it saved an evening of sewing and a lot of swearing at the sewing machine!
Of course, I had to take the obligatory culottes photo!!
Off to find more fabric, I need more of these in my wardrobe!
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| red is more pink in real life... |
I was daring and cut a 14 and it is snug at the waist but actually fits, normally I need a 16+ at the waist, yipee!I also lengthened the pattern, I didn't fancy (read: don't have the legs for) mini culottes then fought with them to get the hem level, everyone says to leave them at least 24hrs to settle and they are right!
I did a rolled hem on my overlocker as I couldn't face doing a narrow hem, I reckon it saved an evening of sewing and a lot of swearing at the sewing machine!
Of course, I had to take the obligatory culottes photo!!
Off to find more fabric, I need more of these in my wardrobe!
Sunday, 8 June 2014
My First Circle Skirt
I have a few huge annoying pieces of fabric in my stash that I can't see myself ever using, one was a large Indian bead spread that had a circle pattern within a rectangle pattern (I did take a photo but it has disappeared). The colours were nice, the weight was nice but I had no idea what to do with it... until I was talking to a friend who I am teaching to sew and she was describing the type of skirt she would like to try, a circle skirt.
Why hadn't I though of that?!
So last weekend I dragged the bedspread out of the cupboard and, using the By Hand circle skirt app, whipped up a full circle skirt out of the bead spread.
I love it and am really pleased with how the pattern looks. The only problem is that I didn't prewash the fabric and I am sure it will shrink when I wash it, maybe it will provide the kick up the backside I need to just loose that final stone...
Linking to some of these fab linky parties!
Why hadn't I though of that?!
So last weekend I dragged the bedspread out of the cupboard and, using the By Hand circle skirt app, whipped up a full circle skirt out of the bead spread.
I love it and am really pleased with how the pattern looks. The only problem is that I didn't prewash the fabric and I am sure it will shrink when I wash it, maybe it will provide the kick up the backside I need to just loose that final stone...
Linking to some of these fab linky parties!
Sunday, 1 June 2014
Me Made May - the finale!
I can't believe it is June already! Me Made May has definitely been an eye opener in more than one way, before I go on here are the last few pics:
Day 29: No Photos, a day in DIY clothes tiling the new downstairs shower room which will hopefully be finished so I can take some pics and write about it!
Day 30: Top: Horrifically unflattering Josephine - looks like I have a rubber ring round my waist... I will not be wearing this top again!
Jeans: Sainsburys via my Mum - legs taken in.
Day 31 : Top - Sesalt via ebay
Culottes - made last year, can't find a blog post about them...
Day 31 out to a wedding reception - Top - Lacy top that my Mum gave to me and I took in.
Culottes - Tania Culottes still to be blogged!
So, I managed to wear me made almost every day without difficulty. I did wear a few items of M&S clothes that I bought ages ago that are not particularly ethical but the rest of the time the clothes were from ethical companies (Seasalt and People Tree) or secondhand, sometimes both!
I have realised a few things:
This month has really spurred me on to get sewing, I have made a pair of kids shorts, 3 tops, a pair of culottes and a circle skirt this month (all will be blogged soon). Hopefully the items for me will fill gaps in my wardrobe and liven it up a little!
Day 29: No Photos, a day in DIY clothes tiling the new downstairs shower room which will hopefully be finished so I can take some pics and write about it!
Jeans: Sainsburys via my Mum - legs taken in.
Culottes - made last year, can't find a blog post about them...
Culottes - Tania Culottes still to be blogged!
So, I managed to wear me made almost every day without difficulty. I did wear a few items of M&S clothes that I bought ages ago that are not particularly ethical but the rest of the time the clothes were from ethical companies (Seasalt and People Tree) or secondhand, sometimes both!
I have realised a few things:
- My wardrobe is boring. I wear too much blue and not enough pattern.
- My Mum uniform of jeans and a t-shirt is too casual. I like to look smartish so this month have made an effort to dress more smartly on most days and it feels good doing it!
- I have lost almost a stone in the last four months and now some of my clothes make me look huge, they either need taken in or have to go. Although, I have a stone to go so I should probably wait until the end of summer before I alter too much!
- I have always had a stash of acquired fabric so use what I have for projects which means that often patterns are made in the wrong fabric, the Josephine is a classic example of how awful a pattern can look in the wrong fabric. I am almost through my usable sizes of stash fabric though so from now on I will buy fabric to suit the pattern. This gets expensive when you only buy organic and fairtrade though, I think this site will be getting a lot more business from me in the near future!
- I need a good trouser / jeans pattern, this is my quest for the summer, so I can banish all the ill fitting jeans I own!
This month has really spurred me on to get sewing, I have made a pair of kids shorts, 3 tops, a pair of culottes and a circle skirt this month (all will be blogged soon). Hopefully the items for me will fill gaps in my wardrobe and liven it up a little!
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